According to Kevin Shahbazi, CEO of LogMeOnce: “70 million smartphones are lost each year according to a study from Kensington, so it’s important you’re protected in case it happens to you. Losing your phone gives hackers free range to any data you store on the phone, from banking information to sensitive company documents. This not only has implications on you personally, but it puts your company at risk for a hack too.”

IT security is struggling with Bring Your Own Device. The policy has cut costs to enterprises and given users greater choice over what they use. Employees are often not purchasing their own endpoint protection for their devices. This leaves corporate data unprotected on large numbers of mobile devices. LogMeOnce believes that giving consumers the same features as the business and enterprise editions of its solution will persuade them to protect themselves.

A Kill-Pill to remote wipe data

Remote wiping lost or stolen mobile devices can be controversial. Users are worried that their personal data is lost when a device is wiped. On the other hand it is critical to ensure sensitive corporate data is removed as soon as possible. This has led to users often not reporting loss for several days while they conduct an extensive search for the device.

The Kill-Pill allows a user to log into their LogMeOnce account and remote wipe the device by sending it a Kill-Pill. It does not “brick” the device making it unusable but it does remove all user and business data. While this may not save the user data, it does put control back into their hands which can be as important.

Mobile Device Management gives IT better visibility and control

Mobile Device Management (MDM) has been around for some time. It enables IT departments to manage and track devices. It also allows them to send remote commands to the device such as sound an alarm. This is useful when the user thinks they know the area their device is in but just cannot find it. Most IT security teams use MDM software to force updates and remote wipe lost devices.

BYOD to separate personal from business

The new LogMeOnce BYOD feature allows users and IT departments to control what data is accessed and where it is stored. Users will now be able to separate their business and personal data into separate vaults. This means that when they change company they only need to remove the business vault and won’t lose their personal data.

There is an additional benefit for device owners. Employers cannot see what is stored in the personal vault. This means that personal means just that, personal. When a user changes employer it is possible to wipe the business vault without affecting their personal data. This is good news for enterprise security teams. It provides them with the ability to meet internal policy control and compliance requirements.

Conclusion

There are already a lot of MDM solutions around and most of them have methods that allow the remote wiping of devices. A small number also support the idea of separating personal data from business data. What is interesting here is that LogMeOnce is putting the capability into its consumer and business editions.

Ian has been a journalist, editor and analyst for over 30 years. While technology remains the core focus of Ian's writings he also covers science fiction, children toys, field hockey and progressive rock. As an analyst, Ian is the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Practice Leader for Creative Intellect Consulting Ltd.
A keen hockey goalkeeper, Ian coaches and plays for a number of clubs including Guildford Hockey Club, Alton Hockey Club, Royal Navy, Combined Services, UK Armed Forces and several touring sides. His ambition is to one day represent England. Ian has also been selected to be the goalkeeping coach for Hockey for Heroes, a UK charity supporting the UK Armed Forces.